The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present teaching and may not constitute prior art.
Traditional composite hockey stick construction can include the coupling of a blade with a shaft to form a one-piece hockey stick. The blade can include a male tongue, or tenon, at the shaft end of the blade. The tenon slides into a mating opening in the shaft. The blade is then bonded to the shaft to form a mechanical joint. The added weight of the joint, the mechanical play inherent in the joint, and the inherent yield of the bonding material can adversely affect the play of the stick.
Other types of composite hockey sticks may include a shaft that is formed first with a blade subsequently molded around a portion of the shaft at the blade end to form a one-piece hockey stick. For example, a blade can be molded around a portion of a shaft via resin transfer molding to create a mechanical joint with the end of the shaft extending partially into the blade. The resulting mechanical joint can have wall thicknesses that are inconsistent and thereby provide inconsistent flexing characteristics for the joint.
Regardless of the type of mechanical joint employed, prior art mechanical joints adversely affect the flex and mechanical integrity of hockey sticks. For instance, since the mechanical joint must be rigid to secure the blade to the shaft, the designer must add reinforcing material and, hence, weight to the blade end of the stick. For example, some composite hockey stick constructions use foam and/or additional material to reinforce the joint and occupy the voids in the interface between the shaft and the blade which can add needless weight. The extra weight can adversely affect the playing characteristics. Because the added weight of the reinforced joint may lie under the end of the stick, the stick can suffer from a disproportionately large increase in moment of inertia, thereby slowing a player's downswing of the hockey stick considerably. In the alternative, the designer can accept the weak joint as is.
Worse yet, the designer, in seeking to optimize shaft flexure, must contend with an inflexible portion of the shaft, the joint, which impedes the optimization of the stick. Thus, the energy transfer of a stick with a mechanical joint may be considerably impaired.
Additionally, mechanical joints may allow mechanical play and yielding between the blade and the shaft. An example of which is the force of impact tending to cause the blade to rotate relative to the shaft.
Further, mechanical joints can result in wall thicknesses that are inconsistent and thereby provide inconsistent flexing characteristics for the joint formed between the blade and the shaft. Because the blade is in contact with the playing surface, the forces transmitted through the composite hockey stick travel through the blade, through the interface of the mechanical joint, and up the shaft to the user of the composite hockey stick. Due to the inconsistent wall thicknesses, the excessive use of foam or excess material that increases the weight, and the inconsistent nature of the stiffness of the composite hockey stick from the point of contact with the ice surface to the user's hands, the playing experience can be less than optimal.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to eliminate the mechanical joint between the blade and the shaft of a composite hockey stick. It would also be desirable to provide a stiffness of the composite hockey stick that is relatively consistent from the grip end all the way through the heel of the blade to the interface with the playing surface. It would further be advantageous if the weight of the shaft could be adjusted to provide desired playing characteristics. It would be still further advantageous if the weight distribution of the composite hockey stick were able to be adjusted by the user of the composite hockey stick.
In accordance with the present teachings, a composite hockey stick includes a shaft that extends from the grip end all the way through the blade to the playing surface. The blade end of the shaft extends through an opening in the bottom side of the blade to contact the playing surface. The shaft can thereby provide continuous fibers that connect a user's hands with the playing surface through the shaft. The extension of the shaft through the blade and onto the playing surface can allow the designer to incorporate a stiffness of the shaft that is relatively consistent along its length and can provide improved playing characteristics. The shaft can be hollow and open at its blade end such that the interior cavity is accessible through the bottom side of the blade. The accessible interior cavity can allow one or more inserts to be selectively disposed in the interior cavity of the shaft to provide a desired weight distribution and/or damping characteristic of the hockey stick.
The shaft can be formed from composite materials and cured first with the blade being subsequently cured onto the end of the shaft, such as via compression molding, resin transfer molding, bladder molding, or wet lay-up by way of non-limiting example. The blade can include a through opening that entirely radially surrounds a portion of the shaft adjacent the blade end. Entirely radially surrounding a portion of the blade end of the shaft with a portion of the blade increases the surface area of contact between the shaft and the blade and the infusion of the resin of the blade into the shaft, thereby providing a secure attachment between the blade and the shaft.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present teachings.